Letter to the Editor July 31, 2008

Treatment-Resistant Self-Mutilation, Tics, and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Neuroacanthocytosis: A Mouth Guard as a Therapeutic Approach

Leonardo F. Fontenelle, MD, PhD; Marco Antônio Araújo Leite, MD

J Clin Psychiatry 2008;69(7):1186-1187

Article Abstract

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The term neuroacanthocytosis describes a group ofphenotypically and genetically heterogeneous disorders associatedwith choreatic movements, psychiatric abnormalities,and cognitive decline. Patients with neuroacanthocytosis maydevelop dementia, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), tourettism, and self-mutilation. We presentthe case of a patient with neuroacanthocytosis who developedtreatment-resistant oral self-mutilation behaviors, phonic tics,OCD, and a severe lack of initiative (i.e., abulia).

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